Sky SOLDIER
by HikaruWolf
Summary: On a mission with Zack, Reno and Sephiroth to go after Ba’Gamnan, Cloud gets hurt and is rescued by Balthier and taken to the Strahl. Now Zack, Reno and Seph have to rescue him, but does Cloud want to be rescued? Balthier/Cloud. Rated for later chapters


**Sky Soldier**

Summary: On a mission with Zack, Reno and Sephiroth to get a materia away from Ba'Gamnan, Cloud gets hurt and is rescued by Balthier and is taken to the Strahl. Now Zack, Reno and Sephiroth have to rescue the chocobo, but does Cloud want to be rescued? Balthier/Cloud

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Author's Note: Contains yaoi (duh) and an adorable cadet... watch out!

**Chapter 1 – The mission**

"A mission in Ivalice?" A small spiky-blonde cadet asked, looking up at his superior and best friend, Zack Fair. He had no idea where Ivalice was but it sounded interesting.

Zack grinned his signature grin and unable to resist any longer, ruffled the cadet's hair. "Yeah. Me and Sephiroth are going and we're allowed to take two other people," he deepened his voice, trying to sound like the President, "preferably of different rank." He brightened up again, "So we chose you and Reno!"

The blonde looked up at the taller man, "Um, I don't have anything against him but, uh... why Reno? I mean, he's a Turk right?"

"True, we were only supposed to take other SOLDIER but he is the only one I know and trust that can drive a helicopter." Zack explained. "We need to get there somehow and I don't feel like walking all the way there. Besides, Tseng approved it so it's all ok."

"What do we need to do there?"

Zack shrugged, "We're getting all the details before we leave tomorrow. Be up extra early!"

Cloud nodded, "I will be."

Zack suddenly glomped the chocobo-looking cadet, "You're so cute when your serious!"

"Z-Zack! Get off!"

-- Next Morning --

"Everyone present and accounted for, now I'll explain the mission." The silver-haired 1st Class SOLDIER held up a pink post-it note with the details on it.

"Our mission was written on that?!" Zack asked in disbelief.

"There was no other paper in my office." Sephiroth calmly explained. He cleared his throat and read aloud:

"_You are to infiltrate Rabanastre in Ivalice and find a Bangaa by the name of Ba'Gamnan. He has acquired a summon materia and must not be allowed to use it. Also, he will probably be accompanied by three other Bangaa who work for him. All are tough opponents."_

Reno thought for a moment and then said, "Why is Shinra sending two of it's best SOLDER's, a Turk _and_ a cadet, for one Bangaa with a summon material and his lizard-lackeys? It seems kinda stupid to me, yo."

Zack nodded in agreement as Sephiroth read the other side of the neon note. "The materia in question is a mastered Knights of the Round."

Cloud gulped as Reno mouthed an 'Oh' while Zack replied, "That does explain a few things... how did he get it in the first place?"

Sephiroth replies quickly, "Black market. Come on, let's move."

The four men climbed into the helicopter, Reno taking the pilot's seat with Sephiroth co-piloting. Zack and Cloud sat away from them. Cloud looked out the window as they took off, suddenly feeing nervous. Ivalice was a big and very dangerous place, what if he got lost? What is he was hurt or even killed? Deciding it was best to not think about 'what if's, Cloud busied himself by checking over his rifle, making sure everything was ready.

Zack noticed Cloud trying to occupy himself and thought he should talk to him. "Scared Spikey?" Zack mentally kicked himself; that was not going to make him feel less nervous!

Cloud shrugged, appreciating Zack's attempt at cheering him up. "A little."

Zack nodded, understanding his anxiety, "Don't worry, I'll make sure nothing happens to ya." He ruffled the teenager's hair then lay back, hoping to get some sleep before they reach Ivalice, and maybe dream of a way to make him seem more understanding to Cloud, before he really messed up in front of him and had to deal with a terrified cadet all the time. Zack wanted Cloud to be a little more carefree around him. The serious look, however cute, didn't suit him as much as a smile would.

A few hours later a tired and muffled voice blared through the intercom, waking the SOLDIER and the cadet from their naps. _**"Hello passengers, this is your pilot speaking. We will be landing on the South side of... how am I supposed to pronounce that? ... Raba-what? ...Rababloo? ...Rabanasish? Raba- oh hell with this! We will be landing on the South side of the city where we believe... (sigh) I'm not pronouncing that name... where we believe the target is. Please fasten your seat belts before I crash this thing into the desert and rename this unpronounceable city, RabaCrashSite. Thank you and hold onto your spikes you two... that wasn't so bad was it?"**_

The intercom switched off with what sounded like a small 'boom', so the two passengers did as the muffled-speaker-voice told them and hung-on for dear life. Reno may be one of the best pilots in Shinra, but at that point, he was irritated, and an irritated Reno is not the best at landing.

"LAND! OH SWEET AND BEAUTIFUL LAND!" Zack cried out as he dived out of the helicopter kissing the sandy ground. He then proceeded to spit it out and ask for a bottle of water.

Reno glared at the SOLDIER's antics. "The landing wasn't that bad, yo. We all lived, even though chocobo-head lost his breakfast in the process."

Sephiroth exited the helicopter, followed by Cloud who was looking very pale. "Let's go, we have a mission to complete."

Zack and Reno immediately straightened up and followed the General. Zack looked down at Cloud, "You feeling okay Spike?"

Cloud nodded slowly, "Yeah, I'll be fine in a minute. The General gave me a pill to help, it seems to be working."

Zack gently ruffled Cloud's spikey head, "Okay, that's good."

After half an hour of tiring walking through Rabanastre, the group finally arrived at a bar called The Sandsea. Reno's eyes shined at the thought of alcohol in his bloodstream and Zack's did the same at the thought of sitting down to rest his aching feet. Zack was usually happy and hyper, but not when his feet hurt. It wasn't the distance that made it hurt, it was the terrain. As much as Zack loved to go to the beach, he hated walking in the sand. Cloud looked at the bar and prayed it would be cooler in there than out in the open. He didn't understand how people could live in this heat and not die.

Zack was the one who finally spoke up, "How about we take a short break in here?" he suggested to the General.

Sephiroth looked at his three companions, one too sober to function properly, one recovering from being sick and would probably pass out if left in the heat much longer, and the other looking for somewhere to sit before he started resurfacing all the roads to make it easier to walk on.

"I think a rest would do us good." A light breeze suddenly blew past him as three blurs with crazy hair rushed into the bar. Sephiroth chuckled to himself and followed. When he entered, he found Reno somehow on his second beer, Cloud cuddling a glass of ice and drinking a glass of water – he planned to drink the glass of ice once it had melted, and Zack sat down on a stool, practically having an orgasm from being off his feet.

Sephiroth ordered himself a beer, it wouldn't affect him because of the mako – the General had never been truly drunk, well not until his seventh tequila.

An hour passed. Just as Reno was ordering his third beer – he was slowing down after the first one, Zack was having a foot massage from Cloud who was drinking water through a straw and Sephiroth ordered himself a second beer, four Bangaa entered the Sandsea.

**There's chapter one for ya!**

**I've wanted to write a Balthier/Cloud fic for ages. No idea why I just thought it was a cute crack-ish pairing.**

**Next time: Ba'Gamnan and his lackeys go after Balthier who happened to be in the Sandsea near the group. The group defends Balthier and Cloud is hurt during the process. How will Balthier react to an adorable blonde getting hurt on his behalf?**

**Reviews make me get off my lazy butt and work faster!!**


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